Come visit New Mexico

A visit to the state of New Mexico can include sights such as geological formations millions of years old, Native American and colonial Spanish sites hundreds of years old, and centers important to the beginning of the Atomic Age just decades ago.

Albuquerque is the largest city in the state, with a population of about 558,000. Its four-county Metropolitan Statistical Area is home to around 900,000. It lies at an elevation ranging from 4,500 feet (1,370 meters) in the Rio Grande Valley to 6,500 feet (1,980 meters) in the Sandia Mountain foothills. Sandia Crest looms over the city at 10,678 feet (3,255 meters).

The high altitude means thinner air, so if you are traveling from significantly lower levels you could feel light-headed for the first couple of days. The city lies in a high desert region, so the humidity is low and sunshine is high. Make sure you have plenty of drinking water and sunscreen when you go out.

Albuquerque can have some very hot days in the summer and some rather cold days in the winter, but in general the climate is pleasant. For climate details see the Albuquerque Visitors Bureau pages.

Palace of the Governors and historic Santa Fe Plaza. Originally Spain’s seat of government for the region, the palace is the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. Now a museum, it faces the historic plaza and its surrounding shops and restaurants.

Chaco Culture National Historic Park. A thousand years ago this was the ceremonial, administrative, and economic center of northwest New Mexico and surrounding areas. Today it has been called “the most sweeping collection of ancient ruins north of Mexico.”